Sunday 25 October - A Plan

Sunday 25 October - A Plan
It is about 50nm from Santa Cruz on the island of Tenerife to Las Palmas on the island of Gran Canaria. Leave at first light, have to wait until daylight to get out of the marina, average 5.0 knots, and the passage takes 10 hours. Then add two hours to go down to the harbour entrance and into the harbour. There are 12 usable hours of daylight, so I had just enough time to make a quick pass into the marina, then anchor. The marina at Las Palmas is tucked into a corner of the busy commercial port, and is the staging and gathering location for the 250 or so boats on the Atlantic Rally for Cruisers (ARC). I wanted to go in the marina just to see what the place looks like. It is the largest marina in the Canaries, which is why ARC starts there. I went in, and there they were, rows and rows of boats, gunnel to gunnel, flying the distinctive, oversize 2015 ARC banner. Curiosity satisfied I went back outside the marina and anchored in a real anchorage adjacent to the marina breakwater.
The ARC boats sail in two groups. Those sailing for Cape Verde start at 14:00 on 06 November, and those sailing straight to Saint Lucia start about two weeks later. I am sure that is to schedule their arrival in Saint Lucia at about the same time. I would love to see one of the starts. Just think about 150 or 200 amateurs trying to start an ocean crossing simultaneously. I bet it is beautiful, with lots of mix-ups.
It was interesting, and distressing to me, that there seemed to be no finger piers, that all the boats were tied up stern to, that dreadful Med-moor, where the boat is backed to the dock and the bow is held in place with an anchor. You step onto the boat at the stern. The boats are tied side by side with no finger piers between them. I would have thought that the largest marina in the Canaries would have finger piers. Distressing to me because I think I am unable to Med-moor. One reason is that Advent has a rudder protruding aft, and that is what would hit first. If Med-moor is what they do here, then I can not go into those marinas.
But on a brighter note, I just loved being anchored, in a real anchorage, with other cruising boats around me and commercial traffic rolling us around with their almost continuous wakes. The marinas all all walled in to stop the ocean swell, and the walls are too high to see over. But in the anchorage I can see, and Advent can swing with the wind, and the continuous goings-on can be enjoyed. It was raining, but I cozied up under the dodger top and enjoyed it until well after dark.
Because I was at anchor and not in a marina, this morning I could leave before daylight. It is about 60nm to the south tip of the island of Fuerteventure. Up until now I have not had a plan. I knew that I wanted to go to the windward most island of Lanzarote, and I knew that I could not go when the 20 knot north-east prevailing winds were blowing. Friday, the day I left, the wind was south-east, and it was an eye-opening experience. The prevailing wind is north-east. (Wonder how many times I have said that ?) My guide book is "The Atlantic Islands, Azores, Madeira, Canaries and Cape Verde." Very good. But all the listed anchorages are for protection from the prevailing wind, and are not OK in any other wind, just as the south-east wind and waves were going directly into the anchorage I had planned on for Friday night. My conundrum was that I couldn't go with NE wind, but any other wind made anchorages unusable, and the marinas are full or nearly full, and the only berths are that dreadful stern-to Med moor. But the forecast last night made everything OK, I hope. The winds are forecasted to be light, 10 kt or less, from the north. From Las Palmas ro the south tip of Fuerteventura, where there is an anchorage, is straight east. So I sail east to Fuerteventure, Then go up the east coast in the lee of the island, and also where there are several more places to anchor. Motor into the light north wind for the 15nm Fuerteventure/Lanzarote crossing, up the lee side of Lanzarote, and Bob's your Uncle.
I know that all this doesn't make much sense. I think I am transmitting my position on the DeLorme inReach satellite communicator. It should be posted on adventtwo.blogspot.com That should show a map with my track, and you may be able to figure out where I am going.
Reef Early
Bill Doar
s/v Advent II